3 Ways to Get the Old Right-Click Context Menu on Windows 11 – Gadgets To Use Leave a comment

With Windows 11, Microsoft has added a modern Context menu that blends well with the new interface. While it’s designed for a fast and decluttered experience, it lacks some options, and hence many of you may still prefer the old-style context menu. Well, here are some easy ways you can get the old classic Right-click Context menu on your Windows 11 PC.

Related | [Guide] How to Customize the Windows 11 Start Menu

Get the Old Classic Right-Click Context Menu on Windows 11

The Windows 11 context menu gets basic options to copy, paste, rename, delete, etc. It gets rid of most other options for a clutter-free experience. In fact, even the refresh button was moved under Show More Options– it was later added back with an update.

While the new context menu looks quite slick, it’s not as user-friendly as the previous one. Thankfully, there are a couple of ways you can access the classic plain context menu on Windows 11. All the methods are detailed below.

1. Via Show More Options

The easiest way to access the legacy context menu is through “Show More Options.” All you need to do is right-click anywhere to open the context menu and tap Show More Options.

This will open the old right-click menu with all other options, including third-party app functions. However, this is a two-step process and can bother some people. In that case, you can proceed with the other methods below.

2. Using Folder Options in File Explorer

1. Open the File Explorer. You can do it through the Start menu or by pressing Win + E.
2. Here, click on the three-dot menu at the top.
3. Select Options from the menu.
4. Once the dialog box appears, switch to the View tab.
5. Then, scroll down and enable Launch folder windows in a separate process under Advanced Settings.
6. Click on Apply and then OK.

The File Explorer will automatically be closed. Open it again and right-click anywhere. You’ll see the old Windows 10-style context menu. However, if it doesn’t work, try restarting your computer.

This method will change the File Explorer menu bar to the one from Windows 10. Also, it works only in File Explorer and not on desktop.

3. Editing the Registry

The last method requires you to edit the registry. You can do it two ways by either tweaking the values manually or through an automatic script.

But before we proceed, make sure to backup your registry to get back to normal if something goes bad or affects the normal functioning of your computer.

Manual Edit

Step 1- Create a New Key

1. Press Win + R and enter regedit to open the Registry editor. You can also open it from the Start menu.
2. Once it opens, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlFeatureManagementOverrides4.
3. You can either navigate manually by clicking on directories in the sidebar OR copy and paste the path in the Registry editor’s address bar.
4. Check if you see a key named “586118283” under 4.
5. If not, right-click 4, tap New > Key.
6. Name the key 586118283 and press Enter.

Step 2- Create DWORD Entries

1. Now, right-click the 586118283 key you created.
2. Tap New > DWORD (32-bit) Value entry.
3. Name it EnabledState.
4. Similarly, create four more keys with the name EnabledStateOptions, Variant, VariantPayload, and VariantPayloadKind.

Step 3- Change Values

1. Now that you have five entries, you can click on each entry to change its value.
2. Click on EnabledState and EnabledStateOptions and set the value to 1.
3. Then, click on Variant, VariantPayload, and VariantPayloadKind, set the value to 0.
4. Make sure the values match the following:

• EnabledState- 1
• EnabledStateOptions- 1
• Variant- 0
• VariantPayload- 0
• VariantPayloadKind- 0

Finally, close the registry editor and restart your computer. You shall now get the old context menu by right-clicking.

This method enables the old Context menu without altering the menu bar in File Explorer. It works everywhere, including the desktop.

Automatic Edit

Don’t want to go through the hassle of editing the registry? Follow the steps below.

1. Download the file from here.
2. Double-click the registry file. Tap Yes when prompted.
3. The script will then automatically create the 586118283 key with the required entries.
4. You can now restart your computer to get back the old context menu.

OR you can also create the registry file yourself by typing the following in notepad and saving it with a “.reg” extension:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlFeatureManagementOverrides4586118283]
“EnabledState”=dword:00000001
“EnabledStateOptions”=dword:00000001
“Variant”=dword:00000000
“VariantPayload”=dword:00000000
“VariantPayloadKind”=dword:0000000

How to Revert the Changes?

For the Folder Options method, open the File Explorer and tap on File at the top right corner. Click on Options and once the popup opens, deselect “Launch folder windows in a separate process” and tap Apply and then OK. Restart your PC.

For those who used the Registry Edit method, open the Registry editor and repeat the steps to navigate to the key. Right-click the 586118283 key you created. Click on Delete and confirm the prompt.

Wrapping Up- Classic Context Menu on Windows 11

These were three quick ways to get the old classic Right-click Context menu from Windows 10 on Windows 11. I hope you’re no longer having any complaints with the right-click menu. Anyways, which of the above methods worked the best for you? Let me know in the comments. Stay tuned for more such articles.

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